Matthias MansenLand und See - woodcuts - November 10 until December 15, 2007

The artist’s attraction to woodcut lies within the potential to change the form or expression of the subject while continuing to work with the printing block. Mansen uses discarded timber or parts of furniture, which he combines in various ways to make the woodblock. Furthermore, he employs several techniques throughout the process of printing. Instead of using a single printing form, he incorporates an assortment of woodblocks to create a range of shapes in different colours. He cuts away parts of the wooden block introducing its negative space into the image. The final results present a raw three-dimensional quality. His technical skill, coupled with his choice of subject, illustrate a résumé of his interests and achievements at an early stage in his career.

Born in Ravensburg, southern Germany, in 1958, Mansen trained as a painter under Georg Baselitz and Markus Lüpertz at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe from 1978 to 1984, where he became interested in woodcuts. He has lived and worked in London (1986-1987), Paris (1988), New York (1989-1994), and lives and works since 1994 in Berlin. His work is represented in museum collections in the U.S. and Germany, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Baltimore Museum of Art; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Staatsgalerie Stuttgart; Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden and the Städelsches Kunstinstitut and Städtische Galerie, Frankfurt.